by Jbs051410c3 — May 19, 2010—Leaders from 15 countries, the European Commission, and the United States gathered on May 11, 2010 for the first policy meeting of the International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation (IPEEC). The group sought to forge partnerships among governments to combat climate change, reduce the use of fossil fuels, and boost the global clean energy economy.
DOE Assistant Secretary Cathy Zoi, elected to a two-year term as the first chair of the IPEEC policy committee, called for nations to use unprecedented speed and scale in the effort to deploy energy efficiency, thereby cutting energy demand and emissions worldwide while building economic development. Assistant Secretary Zoi heads DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
IPEEC was launched in May 2009 by the Group of Eight Energy Ministers. In 2009 IPEEC member countries contributed more than $1.6 million in funding to support its six key energy efficiency initiatives.
IPEEC members include Brazil, Canada, China, the European Commission, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Indonesia and South Africa also sent observers, and Australia joined as a member during the meeting.
All IPEEC members are also members of the Major Economies Forum‘s (MEF) Global Partnership, which is collaborating to accelerate the global switch to clean energy. All MEF partners have been invited to send their clean energy technology ministers to the first-ever Clean Energy Ministerial, hosted by DOE on July 19 and 20, 2010 in Washington, DC.
